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MS150

In two weeks (Sept 13-14) I will be riding in the Memphis edition of the MS150, which is an annual bike ride to benefit the Multiple Sclerosis Society. My company forms a team each year for the event, and this will be my first time to participate. Medtronic is also sponsoring a "water stop" along the way which will provide food and beverage to the hundreds of riders passing through.
The ride begins at Graceland on Saturday morning and heads 75 miles south to Tunica. The next morning we start the 75 miles back Graceland.

I have a bit more training to do to get ready for the 150 mile weekend, but I should be fine. This will be my first extended ride since our Natchez Trace excursion we completed last November.

Anyway, the main purpose of this event is to raise money for a worthy cause. Each rider is doing his/her part to round up support, and if you feel so inclined to contribute, you can do so at Daniel's Support Page.

Four Years

Katy and I celebrated our 4th anniversary this past week. In what has become sort of a tradition, we returned to Erling Jensen for dinner on Friday night. I guess it's our favorite restaurant in Memphis--I don't know if the restaurant is that much better than everything else, or we are just associating it with a special event. In any case, it is easily the meal of the year we most look forward to, and I can't imagine that if we are in town next year that we will go anywhere else.

I've written about Erling Jensen once before on this blog, one year ago to be exact. The only thing that rivals Erling's food is Erling's service. The staff treats you as if you are really special. I appreciate that, because I think I'm pretty special too. Some high-end restaurants treat their customers well, but with a side of snootiness (if that's a word). It's as if you should feel privileged to eat there. It's not like that at Erling. The staff treats you as if they are privileged to serve you. I especially like that they show you which of the 9 utensils you are supposed to use for each course. Even though I'm pretty certain what goes with what by now, they step in to remove any doubt. That's helpful.

There are two things we make sure one of us orders each year: the crabcake appetizer and the chocolate soufflé dessert (neither can be topped in our opinion). In between, we always try out different entrees. There are three "tastes" along the way, complimentary of the chef. We received our complimentary pre-appetizer-appetizer soon after we ordered (I don't know the official name for this course, but I don't have to because, again, I'm special). It was a small citrus-smoked salmon tart, topped with a pesto butter. Yum. From there we moved into our appetizers. To accompany Katy's crabcakes, I got the foie gras. First-timer with the foie gras, and it won't be the last. Mmmm...boy.
After we woofed down our appetizers, we were treated to a pineapple sorbet. I look forward to the sorbet, even though my pallet always seems clean enough. For our entres--Katy had the monk fish (one of the specials) and I got the rack of lamb. I was told the lamb was Erling's signature dish, but that's the first I had heard. The lamb was really good--easily moved into the 2nd slot for my favorite Erling entree (the first slot is firmly held by the ostrich).
We only got one dessert. Weak, I know, but that's all we could stomach at this point. Of course it was the chocolate soufflé. Chocolate and I are good acquaintances, but my wife's relationship with the sweet is much more rich. I could try to describe Erling's soufflé, but I'm not sure it would match Katy's standard. Our complimentary after-dessert-dessert was some sort of chocolate candy. A little too bold for me. In Katy's words, "that's pretty hard-core," and that's pretty high praise.

1.5

When Belle hit 18 months, we decided to get some pictures done for her. If you're familiar with Germantown, we had these done in the caboose garden (or whatever you call that place) over on Poplar Pike.

If you know Belle, you know that she is not prone to stay in one place for long. Getting a good shot requires the photographer have stamina, quick feat, and a fast camera. Thankfully our photographer, Brenda, has all of these. Belle was not as cooperative as we had hoped, but we got some good shots regardless. She did a lot of smiling, but it was usually as she was running away from the camera. Next time, maybe we'll get one camera to use as a decoy, and then have another to get the great shots of her running in the other direction.

Mmmmm....homebrew

A few weeks ago I took up homebrewing as a hobby. It's something I have wanted to do for years, but just never made the investment until now. I love beer, and I love good beer even more. As my tastes and preferences have evolved over the years, it has become increasingly expensive to purchase the beer that I like the most (oh, this is Daniel by the way). So that brings us to homebrewing. A former college roommate of mine started brewing a few years ago and inspired me to do the same. After purchasing my homebrewing equipment, I recruited a couple friends to split the cost of ingredients in payment towards splitting the output of beer.

For batch number one, we went with a basic American Wheat. Meeting in the Brink kitchen a little over 3 weeks ago, we sanitized the equipment, boiled the wort, pitched the yeast, and left the five gallons to ferment in the study closet. (I don't have a picture of this process, sorry). Five days later our wort was finished fermenting, officially becoming beer. It didn't look all that great (as you can see) but it smelled divine. The next step was to siphon it into a glass carboy to allow all of the sediment to drop.A few days later the beer had cleared up considerably, so we added some priming sugar (to start the carbonation process) and moved it into bottles. 52 in all. About two weeks later, we popped open the first few. The satisfaction of drinking my own homebrew outweighed the actual beer. It was good, but it wasn't great. Since we used such a basic recipe the flavor is lacking complexity. Right now it is very similar to a Blue Moon. It will probably change a bit as it continues to evolve in the bottles.While savoring the first batch, we began the process for the second. An English nut brown ale is currently fermenting in the same study closet, so I'm looking forward to its completion in a few weeks.

Oompa loompa, doompadee dawesome, Dwight is now gone, which is totally awesome.

Let's take a break from the family for a bit.
I’m getting a little frustrated with NBC’s The Office. I used to think it was one of the (if not THE) best programs on TV, but I am having second thoughts. It’s not that I’ve lost interest; it’s that the show has gotten worse over time. Allow me to vent a bit...
First of all, the characters have changed. Not developed—changed. Take Jan for example. She used to be a very intelligent, professional, and successful woman. But like all of the characters, Jan had a quirk. She was unexplainably attracted to Michael. Considering her other qualities, it was incredibly odd that she found Michael irresistible, yet detestable. It was funny. The current Jan is completely different. She is now sloppy, irrational, paranoid, demanding, jealous, and flat out weird. Maybe it all started with her “alteration”, but whatever the case, I find it much less funny.
Here’s another—Ryan. Is he supposed to be funny? In the first couple seasons, he was just “intern”. He got picked on and resented everyone he worked with. I liked that character, but then it all changed. I’ll admit, it was funny when he was shockingly promoted ahead of Jim, Karen, and Michael. But ever since then I find him incredibly annoying. And not annoying in a good way. Dwight is annoying, but it’s just his character. I think the writers (one of whom is B.J. Novak, the actor who plays Ryan) are trying way too hard to make Ryan a bad guy. OK, so he’s a bad guy, but he’s not a funny bad guy.Another thing that bothers me is the minor characters getting too much attention. I’m talking about Stanley, Angela, Kelly, Roy, Phyllis, etc. These characters do not need to be developed any more than they are. They are MINOR characters. I don’t want to watch Andy and Dwight fight over Angela, because Angela just isn’t that important. Let her remain over in the accountants’ corner, planning parties, and being bossy. Nothing more.
And Stanley…oh Stanley. Why do we have to get all dramatic? I don’t want to see tear-jerker confrontations with Michael. There’s no denying that Stanley is funny, but it’s the little bits and pieces that are funny. Just keep him as the “urban” teddy bear who sits in meetings, working his crossword puzzle, and occasionally offering the “I don’t give a *darn*”.
The only minor character I think is worth the development is Andy, and I really don’t consider him “minor” any longer. I put him up there with Michael, Pam, Jim, and Dwight as a lead character. And with all of the boohooing that Dwight has been doing over Angela, it has opened the door for Andy to overtake him as the funniest character in the office. I’m sure many disagree with me, but tough. He’s been promoted.
Now break me off a piece of that fancy feast.

How to rock Belle's world

Number two is on the way. Lord willing, we will have a new baby Brink in October. Katy is past the 13 week mark and into the second trimester--so far so good. We are praying that the delivery will be less eventful than number one.
The grandparents and the rest of the family found out this past weekend. Not too many surprised faces.

Ball: A Novel Concept

One of our latest discoveries: Belle got game. We found this out a few weeks ago via her musical drum (courtesy of uncle Noah). Rather than use the toy as it was intended, Annabelle would turn it on its side and kick it around the house. She would also pick it up and drop it on the floor as if she expected it to bounce. Heavy toy drums do not bounce, as it turns out, but instead make loud crashing sounds that make Mom and Dad believe said musical drum will not last much longer.
Anyway, it seemed obvious the girl wanted to play with a ball, so I fetched a soccer ball from the trunk of my car. She was DELIGHTED to have a toy move around the floor so freely. We also found out that a bouncing toy is for some reason hilarious. I must admit, we were a little late with the whole "ball" idea; I guess with all of the modern toys available, it's easy to overlook the simple ones.
So as you can see in the pictures, Belle unleashed her mad soccer skills in style (literally, since we had not yet changed her out of her church clothes).

Ten Days and Counting

This is the Natchez Trace, and in ten days yours truly is going to get a much closer view. On November 11, I will embark on a 444-mile bicycle journey down this beautiful stretch of highway. My brave companions will be none other than Nathe Hendricks, David Jones, and Dallis Ketchum.

Every year the Natchez Trace attracts bicycle-enthusiasts from around the country, so we thought we would give this nearby attraction a whirl. We will begin in Nashville on Sunday afternoon, and after 5.5 days of riding (Lord willing) we will meet our respective wives in Natchez on Friday.

We chose this time of year so that we could see the fall colors at their peek, but with nature's autumn shades comes nature's testy weather. Last week in Memphis, it rained Monday through Friday. Tonight the temperature drops into the 30s. Won't it be nice at the end of each day of riding to check into our hotel for a warm shower and a cushy bed? Wrong. Our young and adventurous selves have decided it would be best if we camped the whole way. Needless to say, we are praying that the unpleasant weather be held to a minimum.

Besides the weather, the primary challenge is to maintain the physical exertion necessary to grind out an average of 80 miles each day...all while having a week's worth of cycling and camping gear strapped to our bikes.

More details to come...

Save the Cheerleader, Save the World

Finally...the new season starts tonight. When Heroes premiered last year, I thought "Gee, that looks like something I'd enjoy" but I just never got around to watching it. Plus, it's one of those shows where you would want to start with the first episode so that you know what's going on. Well thanks to NBC posting all of the full episodes on their website, I was able to start my Heroes-watching late in the season, catching up just in time for the season finale. Brilliant move by NBC for offering free episode viewing online, because it helped people like me catch up with the rest of the cool Heroes crowd.

For as lazy as I tend to be at the end of the workday and as enthralled as I can be by cheap entertainment, I honestly do not "get into" a lot of TV programs. I've done a reality show here and there over the past several years, but I haven't come across a show that I HAD to watch since Ed was broadcast in 2000-2004. Man, I miss Ed...
Anyway, I started watching The Office at the end of its first season, exposing Katy to what she thought was incredibly stupid. It didn't take her too long to come around, and now she is quick to set the Tivo if we miss a Thursday night.

Back to Heroes...I'm such a dork. I know all of the (many) characters and their respective powers. I've even debated others about which hero's powers I would want to have. I was never a comic book kind of guy, so I guess I am now filling that void from my childhood.

Besides Heroes and The Office, I have gotten into 30 Rock. Like Heroes, I was late joining the 30 Rock party so I had to go back and watch previous episodes on the internet. Did I mention how great an idea that was by NBC? Alec Baldwin, who is great on the show, falls into that category of "love the actor, not so much the person."

So that's it. The three programs that Daniel follows. Just so you know where I'm coming from.

A Pretty Good Saturday

It was a pretty good Saturday in the Brink household this past weekend. Not only were many Brinks rejoicing with Michigan's rebound against Notre Dame, but Katy and Daniel's alma mater got a hard-fought win at Auburn. The latter was a shocker.
It is quite rare nowadays to have in the same day a Michigan win (always exciting), a Notre Dame loss (almost as exciting as a Michigan win), and a Mississippi State win (we take 'em whenever we can get 'em). The Ole Miss loss to Vanderbilt was just gravy.

Annabelle especially appreciates being able to wear her Bulldog bloomers to church after a big State victory.

un-Bear-able

If you keep up with Discovery Channel's Man vs Wild, this is likely old news to you. Katy and I started watching the show a couple months ago, and by now have just about seen every episode (thanks to DVR and a couple of Man vs Wild marathons).

For those of you who are unfamiliar with the show, a man is dropped off in a remote location of the world and is charged with the task of surviving until he can find civilization. Said man is Bear Grylls--a British climber, adventurer, survivalist, and regular stud. He's been lost in the Everglades, stranded in the freezing French Alps, trapped in the Costa Rican rain forest, and left for dead in the African Savanna. For the sake of survival (and sheer thrill of entertainment) Bear has eaten meat right from a fallen zebra's bones and cooked raven eggs on the scorching desert rock. He has killed fish with a hand-made bow and arrow, and he has caught wild rabbits with his shoelace. The man once lifted a steaming pile of elephant dung over his head, only to squeeze every drop of fluid into his thirsty mouth. Priceless.

For the sake of yours and my education, Bear intentionally places himself in unfortunate circumstances to show us how to escape. He has submerged himself in quicksand and jumped through an iced-over lake. We should all be grateful for his sacrifice.

Most importantly, Bear is an outspoken Christian and dedicated family man. That is why it is most disappointing that his show has in a couple instances deceived the viewing audience. Some reports came out this summer that Bear was given assistance by the production crew (who were supposedly instructed not to aid Bear's mission unless it were a life-or-death matter). More specifically, he has spent a couple nights snoozing in a motel, when the viewer believes he is shivering in an ice cave.

And in full disclosure (though it pains me to do this), here is a video clip showing that his stunts are not always so spectacular and his location is not always so remote.

My argument against that 2nd link is that I don't expect Bear to actually need 3 or 4 days to find civilization. If he really needed to, Bear could get out of trouble in 10 minutes flat. But in order to get a full hour's worth of programming, I expect that Bear is going to avoid "finding" civilization for a few days just so he can show the audience how you would survive if you were in fact lost. I am certain that in every episode Bear knows exactly where he is, but because the lost tourist might not, he shows you how to survive. The show is quite explicit in it's educational purpose.

In closing, I want to say that I am still a major fan of Bear and Man vs Wild. While I am disappointed that Bear has cheated us on a couple of nights, I am still very much impressed with what he has accomplished on the show. On his blog, Bear says that the reports attacking the show are not detailing the whole truth. He also assures us that Man vs Wild will be much more forthright about what is "real" and what is entertainment.

All Dressed Up

Our little Belle is getting bigger, though still quite small for her age. Katy is especially excited to see her grow into clothes that we thought she would be wearing much sooner. Here she is this past Sunday, ready to go to church. She is thrilled to be wearing this flowing, white number for the first time.

Anniversary Dinner

As Katy mentioned below, we recently celebrated our 3rd anniversary, and for the 3rd year in a row we enjoyed a wonderful dinner at Erling Jensen. After having a truly enjoyable first visit, we agreed that a return was necessary for future celebrations. This is the one time of year when we ignore prices, which in and of itself feels nice.
A few thoughts about Erling Jensen:

For being a fine French establishment, Erling does not hold back on quantity while serving up such quality dishes. If we were being cost-conscious, we could easily get by with splitting menu items...but like I said, we don't go to Erling to be cost-conscious.

The service is amazing. I had noticed that Memphis Magazine rated Erling Jensen as having the best service in town, and they weren't kidding. Not being the fine dining regulars, Katy and I feel surprisingly welcome there. The staff is always eager to define those hard-to-pronounce selections and quick to point out which utensil is appropriate for each course. Nice.

The pace of dinner is refreshing. Each visit for us has been about two hours, as nobody seems to be in a hurry. The pre-appetizer-appetizer, the palette-cleansing sorbet, and the post-dessert-dessert are all "complimentary" and serve as a wonderful way to extend the enjoyment.

Last but not least, the menu. The one appetizer that we insist one of us order is the crab cakes. Oh my. I would pay good money just to eat a few orders of the crab cakes. As for entres, the Kobe beef and buffalo have both been memorable, but I think the ostrich is my numero uno. For dessert, the chocolate souffle is an emotional experience and makes for the most silent course of our dinner.

It takes a beating on the ol' wallet, but it's worth every bite. As we look forward to year #4, check it out for yourself.

http://www.ejensen.com/index.html

Survival

This is Dugg, and this is what happens to Dugg when we get home from a walk. We do not take nearly as many walks as we should, but when we do it is like Christmas morning for Dugg.
He starts out at a good pace, high-stepping (as much as possible for a Bassett) with his nose high in the air. We have to walk in the street because Dugg easily gets distracted on the sidewalk--way too much for a hound to sniff.
5 minutes later, Dugg has worked up a good foam, which originally spreads to his hanging ears and then moves to Katy's ankles when he gets too close. Katy does not like this part.
10 minutes later, Dugg's enthusiasm is fading fast. He is a much slower Bassett at this point, as his nails are now dragging the pavement with each step.
15 minutes into the walk, Dugg's ears, jowls, and tongue are all sagging, doing their part to rid the street of any debris along the way. He's wondering if home is around the next corner.
At the 20 minute mark, Dugg is as sloppy as ever. He has never been a gifted walker, but now his stumbling is much more frequent. His nose and forehead are showing signs of wear after repeated trips land him too close to the road.
It's been about half an hour, and Dugg is considering quitting. He stops every hundred yards or so to test out what quitting feels like. He's not ashamed to sit in the middle of the road, after all, it's the dog-owners who look silly.
When we get on the homestretch, Dugg gets a magical burst of energy. He sees the finish line just a few houses down, and he can almost taste his water bowl. Ahhh...home, sweet home. While Dugg franticly drinks and spills his water across the laundry room floor, Katy and I await our favorite part...the collapse. You see, Dugg is a spoiled dog who loves comfort. He always seeks the softest place that is closest to his family, but this time it is cool, wood floor he wants. He makes it 3 steps into the kitchen, and falls heavily to one side. Mouth open and tongue resting on the floor, he leaves a wet spot as evidence of another survived expedition.

Not that anyone cares, but...

On Wednesday the 23rd, Liverpool will be competing in the Champions League finals, which is a tournament-style competition for the best football clubs in Europe. It is arguably the most coveted prize in European football (or, soccer). The last time Liverpool won the Champions League was in 2005, when they were the underdog for most of the tournament. The final of 2005 is famous for a stunning come-from-behind win. Liverpool was facing the heavily favored A.C. Milan, who embarrassed Liverpool with 3 unanswered first half goals. With hope almost lost at halftime, Liverpool emerged from the locker room and battled its way back into the match. Led by captain Steven Gerrard, the Reds netted 3 goals in a span of 6 minutes, eventually winning in extra time shootout.
As for this year, Liverpool has again played the role of the underdog and has knocked out two of the biggest European clubs, Chelsea and Barcelona. To top it off, Liverpool will once again meet A.C. Milan in the finals. Needless to say, Milan will want revenge.
The final will be played in Athens on May 23rd. I've decided NOT to go to the game, but I will surely be watching on TV over a pint.

A Good Place to Start

I don't intend for this blog to be all about our daughter, but it is a good place to start. Today Annabelle is 5 months old, which means that she is reaching for things, rolling over, laughing, and developing quite a fondness for Mommy. These are all things that did not mean too much to me 5 months ago. Reaching for things? Big whoop. Rolling over? Been there, done that.
But after watching this little one grow from 4 lbs to now 11 lbs, you could say my perspective has changed. What used to be a tiny girl who was completely dependent on others is now...well, still completely dependent. But she's interacting with the world, and that's been fun for us to see.
Can't wait to see what she accomplishes in the upcoming months. Sitting up? Cheerios? Whoa.